The Tao is so empty
those who use it
never become full again
and so deep
as if it were the ancestor of us all
it dulls our edges
softens our light
and merges our dust
it’s so clear
as if it were present
I wonder whose child it is
it seems it was here before Ti
Lao-tzu’s Tao Teching
Interpreted by Red Pine
Tao is empty
yet it fills every vessel with endless supply
Tao is hidden
yet it shines in every corner of the universe
With it, the sharp edges become smooth
the twisted knots loosen
the sun is softened by a cloud
the dust settles into place
So deep, so pure, so still
It has been this way forever
You may ask, “Whose child is it? ‘—
but I cannot say
This child was here before the Great Ancestor
Lao-tzu’s Tao Teching
Interpreted by Jonathan Star
WANG AN-SHIH Says, “The Tao possesses form and function. Its form is the original breath that doesn’t move. Its function is the empty breath that alternates between Heaven and Earth’
WU CH’ENG says, “Empty' meansempty like a bowl: The Tao is essentially empty, and people who use it should be empty, too. To be full is contrary to the Tao. Deep' meanswhat cannot be measured: Ancestor’ means one who unites a lineage; just as the Tao unites all things. As if’ suggests a reluctance to compare’
LI HSI-CHAI Says, “The ancient masters of the Way had no ambition. Hence, they dulled their edges and did not insist on anything. They had no fear. Hence, they untied every tangle and avoided nothing. They did not care about beauty. Hence, they softened their light and forgot about themselves. They did not hate ugliness. Hence, they merged with the dust and did not abandon others’
WEI YUAN says, “By taking advantage of edges, we create conflicts with others. By shining bright lights, we illuminate their dust. Grinding down edges makes conflicts disappear. Dimming the light merges dust with dust and with darkness”’
HUANG YUAN-CHI says, “A person who can adjust their light to that of the crowd and merge with the dust of the world is like a magic mushroom among ordinary plants. You can’t see it, but it makes everything smell better.”
HSI. T’UNG says, “The Tao is invisible. Hence, Lao-tzu calls it `clear:”
THE SHUOWEN says, “Chan [clear] means `unseen:”
LU NUNG-SHIH says, “`Clear’ describes what is deep, what seems to be present and yet not present, what seems to be not-present and yet not not-present.”
LIU CHING says, “If it’s empty, it’s deep. If its deep, it’s clear. The Tao comes from nothing. Hence, the Tao is the child of nothing”
LI YUEH says, “Ti is the Lord of Creation. All of creation comes after Ti, except the Tao, which comes before it. But the nature of the Tao is to yield. Hence, Lao-tzu does not insist it came before. Thus, he says, `it seems:”
JEN CHI-YU says, “In ancient times no one denied the existence of Ti, and no one called his supremacy into doubt. Lao-tzu, however, says the Tao is `the ancestor of us all, which presumably included Ti as well” (Lao-tzu the-hsueh tao-lun-chi, P. 34)
For such an enigmatic verse, there are surprisingly few variants. In line three, I have gone along with the Fuyi edition, Tunhuang copy P-2584, and Mawangtui B in reading yu-pu-ying, “again not full” in place of huo pu ying, “seems not full’ Because of problems resulting from their interpretation of the first four lines, some commentators think lines six through eight don’t belong here. They do, in fact, also occur in verse 56, and could have been interpolated. However, I’ve read them as an explanation of the Tao’s ancestral status, which makes kin of us all. This verse is absent in the Kuotien texts.
[Tao ch’ung (tao empty): “Tao is like a hollow vessel.” (Yutang); “Tao is infinite.” (Au); “Tao is within.” (Erkes); “The Tao is as emptiness, so are its operations. It resembles non-fullness.” (Medhurst)
]Tung ch’i ch en: “It becomes one with the dusty world.” (Chan); “It identifies with the ways of the world.” (Wing); “It is lowly as the dust.” (Mears); “Its turmoil is submerged.” (Yutang); “It unites the world into one whole.” (Wu); “It becomes one with everything that it has created.” (Tze); “It brings unity to all beings.” (Au); “Let your wheels move along old ruts.” (Lau)
Ssu huo: “resembles a certain existence” (Wing); “bears the appearance of permanence” (Medhurst)